POSTING OF NOTICES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

HB0147

HOUSE BILL 147

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

Raymundo Lara

AN ACT

RELATING TO BUSINESS; REQUIRING THE POSTING OF A NOTICE
REGARDING HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN A LODGING FACILITY; REQUIRING
LODGING FACILITY HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS TRAINING;
PROVIDING PENALTIES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

SECTION 1.
[
NEW MATERIAL
] HUMAN TRAFFICKING NOTICE AT A
LODGING FACILITY.--

A. A lodging facility shall display a poster that
provides information about human trafficking that includes:

(1) the definition of human trafficking;

(2) conduct prohibited by the provisions of
Chapter 30, Article 52 NMSA 1978;

(3) the telephone number of a national human
trafficking hotline; and

(4) the telephone number of a statewide human
trafficking reporting organization, if available.

B. The poster shall be displayed in a conspicuous
place, and information shall be presented in English, Spanish
and any other language that is the primary language of a
significant portion of the lodging facility's workforce or
clientele.

C. The workforce solutions department shall make
available a model poster that satisfies the requirements of
this section.

D. As used in this section, "lodging facility"
means a hotel, motel or motor hotel, a bed and breakfast
facility, an inn, a resort or other facility offering rooms for
payment of rent or other consideration and contains ten or more
guest rooms.

SECTION 2.
[
NEW MATERIAL
] LODGING FACILITY HUMAN
TRAFFICKING AWARENESS TRAINING.--

A. The operator of a lodging facility shall require
each of the operator's employees to complete human trafficking
awareness training no later than ninety days after the
employee's date of hire and at least once every twelve months
thereafter.

B. The training required pursuant to this section:

(1) shall include:

(a) an overview of human trafficking,
including labor trafficking and sex trafficking;

(b) common indicators and warning signs
of human trafficking in a lodging facility setting;

(c) guidance on safe and appropriate
responses when human trafficking is suspected;

(d) information on how to report
suspected human trafficking to local law enforcement, the
national human trafficking hotline and a statewide human
trafficking reporting organization, if available; and

(e) information explaining that an
employee who reports suspected human trafficking in good faith
is protected from retaliation; and

(2) may be satisfied by a training program
provided or approved by the department of public safety or the
attorney general or another substantially similar training
program that meets the minimum standards of this section.

C. An operator shall maintain records of employee
training completion for a period of three years and shall make
the records available upon request of an enforcing authority.

D. A lodging facility that employs no more than
twenty-five employees shall have a period of twelve months from
the effective date of this section to comply with the
requirements of this section.

E. As used in this section:

(1) "employee" means an individual employed
directly by a lodging facility, including a full-time,
part-time or temporary employee;

(2) "lodging facility" means a hotel, motel or
motor hotel, a bed and breakfast facility, an inn, a resort or
other facility offering rooms for payment of rent or other
consideration and contains ten or more guest rooms; and

(3) "operator" means the owner, lessee or
other person responsible for the management or operation of a
lodging facility.

SECTION 3.
[
NEW MATERIAL
] ENFORCEMENT--CIVIL PENALTIES.--

A. The provisions of Sections 1 and 2 of this 2026
act may be enforced by the attorney general or a district
attorney for the judicial district in which the lodging
facility is located.

B. An operator who fails to comply with Sections 1
and 2 of this 2026 act is subject to a civil penalty not to
exceed five hundred dollars ($500) for each violation.

SECTION 4.
EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the
provisions of this act is July 1, 2026.

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